Ear plate



W. J. PAYNE Nov. 25, 1958 EAR PLATE Filed Dec. 14, 1956 INVENTOR Wesley J. Payne @mgfl AT 'oRNEY United States Patent EAR PLATE Wesley J. Payne, Bath, N. Y., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 14, 1956', Serial No. 628,419

4 Claims. (Cl. 313-260) This invention relates to electron discharge devices and more particularly to improvements in the methods and apparatus for facilitating assembly of electrode mounts.

In many types of receiving tubes the electrode members including cathode, grids and anodes are positioned and retained by means of spacer elements positioned at the ends of the electrode members. In general, the electrode members are positioned between two insulating spacers or plates of a suitable material such as mica or ceramic. The spacers are provided with a plurality of apertures through which extensions or tabs of the electrode members extend and thereby the electrodes are positioned with respect to each other within the cage assembly. Certain of the electrode members have tabs or extensions which may be bent or deformed in some manner to provide means of securing the spacers and the electrode members in a rigid assembly. In many structures the cathode and grid electrodes are simply provided with extensions to position the members and the anode or plate electrode is provided with tabs utilized to secure and fasten the cage structure.

It is the present practice in the industry for the operator' or assembler to either twist the ear or tab or bend some portion of the ear or tab normally at right angles to the electrode to secure the electrode to the spacer and thus secure the entire cage assembly. The type tab which is twisted to lock does not always give consistent results and there is the additional danger of deforming the electrode member of which the ear is a part. It is also obvious that due to the small tools and small ear members it is difficult for the operator to determine when sufficient pressure is obtained. 'In the type tab in which the ear is bent at a right angle over the spacer so as to be substantially parallel to the spacer, it is difiicult for the operator to obatin consistent results in that extreme care is necessary. This, of course, increases the time of assembly. The right angle bend process also increases the possibilities of shorts and leakage within the electron tube.

Another difficulty that is found in the receiving tube art is the inconsistent thickness of the spacers utilized. This is especially true of the most commonly utilized material, mica.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide a cage assembly having an improved locking structure which facilitates assembly and reduces shrinkage.

It is another object to provide a receiving tube in which the cage assembly is rigidly assembled to provide a tube of minimum noise and microphonics.

It is another object to provide a rigid cage assembly with a minimum labor cost.

It is another object to provide a fastening device to provide a rigid cage assembly regardless of the thickness of the spacer members.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description taken in accordance with the accompanying drawing throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts and in which:

ICC

in the unlock position utilized in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the locking tab used in Fig. 2 in the lock position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified locking tab in the unlock position;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the locking tab shown in Fig. 4 in the lock position;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified locking tab in the unlock position; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the tab shown in Fig. 6 in the lock position.

Referring in detail to Fig. 1, there is illustrated an electron discharge tube comprised of an envelope 10 of a suitable material such as glass. The envelope 10 illustrated is of the well known miniature type tube and its main body is cylindrical in form. The cage or electrode mount 12 is assembled exterior to envelope 10 and inserted into the envelope from the lower end and the envelope is later sealed off. The cage assembly 12 is comprised of two spacer members or thin plates 14 cylindrical in form and normally provided with a serrated edge around the periphery so as to position the assembly 12 within the cylindrical envelope 10. The two spacer plates 14 are of a suitable insulating material such as mica or ceramic. For purposes of ease in illustration, only the electrode utilized for locking the cage assembly is illustrated. The specific device shown is a 6067 and the electrode member utilized for locking is the plate electrode. The 6CG7 is a twin triode and only one of the plates is shown. The plate electrode 16 is positioned between the two spacers 14 and substantially perpendicular to both. The end edges of the plate electrode abut against the two spacers 14 and extensions or tabs 18 and 20 are provided on each end of the plate electrode 16 and extend through apertures 19 provided in the spacer plates 14. The plate electrode extensions or tabs 18 and 20 may or may not be an extension of the plate electrode 16 material. In the specific embodiment shown the tabs or ears 20 are provided primarily for positioning of the plate electrode 16 while the cars 18 illustrated in Fig. 2 are locked to the spacer plates 14 in a manner illustrated in Fig. 3. In this manner the cage is locked to fix the position of the electrodes within the cage assembly.

Referring in detail to Figs. 2 and 3, there is illustrated the details of the locking tab 18 in Fig. 1. The ears or extensions 18 may be of the same material as the plate electrode 16 and extend beyond the edge of the plate 16 for a suitable distance. The ears 18 are provided with a cleft or fissure which may overlap into the main body of plate 16. In the specific embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the fissure is in the form of a slot 21 having its inner lower edge or lip starting at the edge of the electrode 16 and at the point where the extension of the side edge of the ear meets the plate edge and extending inwardly from the edge of the plate 16 at a small angle with respect to the end edge of the plate 16. The slot 21 extends into the ear 18 and the electrode 16 for approximately /3 or A: the width of the ear 18. The width of the slot 21 should be slightly greater than the thickness of the spacer 14. The car 18 maybe considered as comprised of two portions including the body portion 24 and a flap portion 26. The bottom edge or lip of the flap portion 26 forms the upper or outer edge of the slot 21 and is parallel to the lower edge of the slot 21. The lower edge of the flap 26 is the bearing surface of the locking tab 18. The bearing lip of the flap 26 is at an angle such that the portion innermost will be closer to the edge portion of-the plate electrode 16 than any spacer-14-that-- might be utilized.

The operator, by applying pressure by means of a tweezeror some other device to both side edges of'the ear:18;" will cause the fiap portion 26 to bend-tea lock position as is illustrated in Fig. '3. The-flap '26 is-at an angle-with respect to the body portion 24 f the tab 18 so that the bearingedge will bind the spacer 14 against the end edge of the electrode 16. By providingthe-small angle on the bearing lip of the-flap 26,-thedevice allows for variance in the thickness of-the' spacers and also allows the operator to visually see that-the member is locked in position. A positive clamping action is therefore obtained on the mica spacer 14.

Referring in detail to Figs.'4 and- 5, there is shown a modified ear structure 30 in which the fissure is in the form of a notch 32. The lower edge of the-notch 32 may be, and in the specific embodiment is, the end edge of the electrode 16. The other edgeor lip of the notch 32 is directed inwardly at a small angle with respect to the'edge of plate 16 so that the upper or outer edge of the notch 32 adjacent the side edge of the ear 30 is separated from the lower edge of the notch 32 by a distance greater than the thickness of any spacer 14 that might be utilized. The ear is again composed of- 'a body portion 34 and'a flap portion 36 and the operator in the locking action will again bend the flap 36 to a position so that the spacer 14 is bound against the edge of the electrode 16. It may be desirable to also utilize an embossment 31 on the ear tab 30 as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The embossment 31 may be utilized in any of the structures illustrated herein. The embossment 31 provides additional means of securely mounting the spacer 14 to the plate electrode 16. The aperture 19 must be provided with a recess (not shown) in one edge'for the-embossment.

Referring in detail to Figs. 6 and 7, anothermodified plate car 40 is illustrated in which the fissure is'in the form of a slit 42. The slit 42 is cut in a side edge of the ear at a point above the edge of the electrode 16 at a point greater than the thickness of any spacer 14 that might be utilized. The slit 42extends inwardly at a small angle with respect to the end edges of the plate 16 toward the plate electrode 16 and forms the ear 40 comprised of a body portion 44 and a flap 46. The operation and locking action is similar to that described with respect to the other modifications in which the flap 46 -is bent at an angle with respect to the body portion 44 of the car 40 so that the lower edge or bearing edge of the flap 46 bears againstthe spacer 14, positively locking the spacer 14 against the edge of the electrode 16.

In the specific embodiments'illustrated, the fissure has only been illustrated with respect to one side edge of the ear or extension. It may be desirable in some applications to utilize a similar fissure on the other edge of the ear to provide additional locking action.

While I have shown my invention in several forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electron discharge device comprising a cage assembly having a plurality of electrode elements positioned between two spacers, said spacers having elongated apertures therein, one of said electrodes having extension tabs thereon adapted to be inserted through said apertures with an edge of said electrode bearing against one surface of said spacer, one of said tabs having a fissure in one side edge to provide a body portion and a flap portion within said tab, said fissure extending at an angle from a point on said side edge of said tab and directly inwardlyaway from said tab to a point within said elecrespect to said body portion of said tab, said body portion and said flap portion substantially perpendicular to said spacer, the lower edge of said flap portion bearing against the opposite surface of said spacer with respect to the edge of said electrode to bind the spacer plate against said electrode edge in such a manner that the pressure exerted by said spacer is insufficient to deform the lower portion of said flap portion.

2. An electron discharge device comprising a cage assembly having a plurality of electrode elements positioned between two spacers, said spacers having elongated apertures therein, one of said electrodes having extension tabs thereon adapted to be inserted through said apertures with an edge of said electrode bearing against one surface of said spacer, one of said tabs having a notch in one side edge to provide a body portion and 'a flap portion within said tab, said notch extending at an angle from a point on said side edge'of saidtab and directed inwardly away from said tab to a point within said electrode, said flap portion of said tab bent at an angle with respect to said body portion of'said tab, said body portion andsaid flap portion substantially perpendicular to said spacer, the lower edge of'said flap portion bearing against the opposite surface of said spacer with respect to the edge of said electrode to bind the spacer plate against said electrode edge in such a manner that the pressure exerted by said spacer is insufficient to deform the lower portion of said flap portion.

3. An electron discharge device comprising a cage assembly having a plurality of electrode elements positioned between two spacers, said spacers having elongated apertures therein, one of said electrodes having extension tabs thereon adapted to be inserted through said apertures with an edge of said electrode bearing against one surface of said spacer, one of said tabs having a slot in one side edge to provide a body portion and a flap portion within said tab, said slot extending at an angle from a point on said side edge of said tab and directed inwardly away from said tab to a point within said electrode, said flap portion of said tab bent at an angle with respect to said body portion of said tab, said body portion and said flap portion substantially perpendicular to said spacer, the lower edge of said flap portion bearing against the opposite surface of said spacer with respect to the edge of said electrode to bind the spacer plate against said electrode edge in such a manner that the pressure exerted by said spacer is insufiicient to deform the lower portion of said flap portion.

4. An electron discharge device comprising a cage assembly having a plurality of electrode elements positioned between two spacers, said spacers having elongated aperturestherein, one of said electrodes having extension tabs thereon adapted to be inserted through said apertures with an edge of said electrode bearing against one surface of said spacer, one of said tabs havinga slit in one side edge to provide a body portion and a flap portion within said'tab, said slit extending at anangle from a point on said side edge of said tab and directed inwardly away from. said tab to a point within said electrode, said flap portion of said tab bent at an angle with respect to said body portion of said tab, said body portion and said flap portion substantially perpendicular to said spacer, the lower edge of said flap portion bearing against the opposite surface of said spacer with respect to the edge of said electrode to bind the spacer plate against said. electrode edge in such a manner that the pressure exerted by said spacer is insufficient to deform the lower portion of said flap portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

